George King (basketball, born 1928)

George King (August 16, 1928 – June 5, 2006) was an American professional basketball player and college basketball coach.

King was born in Charleston, West Virginia. He played college basketball at Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston) and then at the University of Kentucky, where he was a member of the 1951 national championship team under coach Adolph Rupp.

King was drafted by the Rochester Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) in the 1951 NBA draft. He played professionally for the Royals, the Milwaukee Hawks, and the Cincinnati Royals from 1951 to 1958. He was known as a strong rebounder and defensive player.

After his professional playing career, King became a successful college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at West Virginia Tech from 1958 to 1965 and then at Purdue University from 1965 to 1972. At Purdue, he led the Boilermakers to the NCAA Tournament five times, including an appearance in the 1969 NCAA Championship game, where they lost to UCLA. He was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Coach of the Year in 1969.

King was inducted into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. He died in 2006 in Naples, Florida.